About Us
Dr Emily Finch
I am a criminal lawyer with a longstanding interest in empirical research methodologies. My first experience with data collection came when I interviewed stalkers and stalking victims for my doctoral research. The finished thesis was published as a monograph, The Criminalisation of Stalking, which was the runner-up for the Cavendish Prize for Legal Scholarship. Since then, the majority of my research projects have had an empirical element. My ESRC-funded project on intoxicated consent to sexual activity was based upon trial simulations of rape trial and I also used trial simulation in research that explored jury responses to different test of dishonesty in property offences.
My research on perceptions of dishonesty continued with a mass participation online project, Honesty Lab which attracted over 20,000 responses. This was carried out with the British Science Association and funded by the ESRC Public Engagement Fund. My work on identity theft and the internet had a strong empirical component and was awarded the Joseph Lister Prize for Social Science Research. I have a strong research focus on the use of the internet for criminal purposes and in the effectiveness of the criminal law in relation to emotional harm. My belief that people are an important source of meaningful information in legal research has been a consistent theme throughout my academic career and it is this that prompted my interest in the World Café as a method of generating research data and led to the creation of the Justice Café.
Dr Filipa Tavares Moreira Bispo
Since the early stages of my career, as a practicing lawyer in Portugal, I have focused on Family and Criminal Law. In 2008 I moved to England where my qualification as a Solicitor of England and Wales (non-practicing) has widened my knowledge of the UK legal system. My interest in the world of mediation increased in 2010 when I was awarded 9 credits at level three on the course Neighbour & Community Mediation Practice delivered by the National Open College Network. I then gain practice experience while volunteering at the Cambridge & District Community Mediation Service.
In 2020 I started my academic career. My research focuses mainly on current issues of Family Law. My interest in these matters arose from my practice as a Family Lawyer in Portugal, as well as from my genuine interest in the issues related to families and the regulations of their lives. It was then a natural choice for me to complete my PhD project on the issue of the Imbalance of Powers in Family Mediation. In the future, I aim to continue to develop research in family law, focusing on divorce and children issues. I am also interested in exploring new lines of research that can be studied across different disciplines, hence opening the door to developing interdisciplinary projects.
While the unique dynamics of family interactions and disputes have been the main focus of my work, I have also practiced as a Criminal Lawyer in Portugal. The unique characteristics of these two areas of law never cease to challenge and fascinate me. I believe that these interests were some of the many elements that brought Dr Finch and me together. We are now developing new projects not only in the area of Family Law, but also in the areas of Criminal Law, and Legal Education.